Professionals on hand to provide support after Windsor High School student death

Windsor police investigate the scene of a death north of the Windsor High School football field behind the high school.

What parents can do after tragedy

Kimberly Pratt, with North Range’s Suicide Education and Support Services, offered advice on what parents can do for their kids in the wake of loss.

» Talk about it openly and honestly. “Don’t be afraid to talk about what they’re experiencing,” Pratt said.

» Give them space to grieve. “Often times, teenagers don’t want to grieve with their parents,” Pratt said. “But being with their friends is really helpful.”

» Keep things consistent Pratt said it’s best for parents to stick to their normal routine, like keeping their kids in school. That way, they’ll be surrounded by their peers and can take advantage of support offered by the school.

Suicide Prevention

Pratt speaks with students regularly about depression and suicide.

When she asks kids why they have a hard time reaching out to their parents, the top three responses are “my parents will be disappointed,” “my parents will be mad,” and “my parents won’t believe me.”

To help actually reach kids, she recommends parents don’t ask leading questions such as, “you wouldn’t do that to us, would you?” or “you wouldn’t do anything stupid, right?”

Instead, Pratt said parents should aim to normalize grief by saying, “Sometimes when something bad happens,” whether a failed relationship, test, or tryout, “people become depressed, and sometimes when people become depressed, they think about suicide. Is that true for you? If you are, that’s OK. I just want to make sure we get you the help you need.”

It’s important for parents to give kids permission to have those sad and scary thoughts, Pratt said. That way, kids will be more willing to seek help.

“If you’re not sure what to do, you can call the Colorado crisis line and say, ‘Here’s my situation, I’m worried, can I get some advice?’ ” Pratt said. “They’ll help.”

Warning signs of suicide

» For teenagers, depression can often manifest as anger, irritability and frustration.

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Windsor-Severance Re-4 School District staff, Windsor police officers and mental health professionals from North Range Behavioral Health came to the aid of Windsor High School as the district dealt with the death of a student Thursday.

What started as a reported suicide attempt at a park near the high school — and resulted in a lockout at the high school — ended tragically with the apparent suicide of the student. The name of the victim is not being released because he is a juvenile, and his age has not been released.

Even principals from neighboring Windsor schools, such as Tammy Seib from Skyview Elementary and Shelly Butcher from Tozer Primary, came to the high school to help.

"We're here to do anything we can to provide support," Butcher said.

Butcher and others worked at tables of attendance clip-boards set up at the school entrance for parents to check their students out of class. The school attendance line received several hundred calls from parents dismissing their students from school for the rest of the day.

Windsor High School Principal Michelle Scallon hugged her students and several parents in the crowded front desk area.

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The incident started at 10:47 a.m. with a report of attempted suicide at Brunner Farm Park, which is just north of the football field at the high school.

Windsor police determined there was no threat to the school or students at the school and the lockout was lifted around 11:45 a.m., said Katie VanMeter, town communications manager.

At 12:30 p.m., Windsor police announced they were investigating a death at the scene, and Windsor-Severance Re-4 School District officials posted a statement online saying a high school student had died.

"Because of the nature of the death, it is under investigation by the Windsor Police Department. We are fully cooperating with the police and are following their direction of what information we can provide to you at this time," the district's post stated. "Please note that there was a period of time when Windsor High School was on lockout today because of this incident. Trained personnel at Windsor High School have been activated under our Crisis Plan to support students and staff."

In a follow-up statement, the district asked parents to be sensitive to their children's behavior in the next few days.

The email indicated resources for parents and students, including advice about talking about traumatic situations can be found on the Windsor High School Counseling Office web page under the Counseling Resources tab.

Additionally, from 4:30-8:30 p.m. Thursday, counselors from North Range Behavioral Health were be available at Timberline Church, 360 Crossroads Boulevard in Windsor.

"It's been quite a day," said Liz Gullette, administrative assistant for exceptional student services from the district office Thursday. "It's been quite the last few months, really. There's been so much."

Thursday's death follows a month wherein the school district suffered numerous tragedies, including the death of a bus driver of eight years, Richard Fischer; the death of two alumnae, Kelsey Thomas and Jenna Bruntz; and the death of alumnus Kyle Nackos. Nash Rider, a sophomore at the school, remains in the hospital with life-threatening injuries from the same traffic crash that killed Nackos.

Officials said resources from North Range Behavioral Health, counselors from other schools and Windsor police will be available for students throughout the school day again today.

Tribune reporters James Redmond and Kelly Ragan contributed to this story.

What parents can do after tragedy

Kimberly Pratt, with North Range’s Suicide Education and Support Services, offered advice on what parents can do for their kids in the wake of loss.

» Talk about it openly and honestly. “Don’t be afraid to talk about what they’re experiencing,” Pratt said.

» Give them space to grieve. “Often times, teenagers don’t want to grieve with their parents,” Pratt said. “But being with their friends is really helpful.”

» Keep things consistent Pratt said it’s best for parents to stick to their normal routine, like keeping their kids in school. That way, they’ll be surrounded by their peers and can take advantage of support offered by the school.

Suicide Prevention

Pratt speaks with students regularly about depression and suicide.

When she asks kids why they have a hard time reaching out to their parents, the top three responses are “my parents will be disappointed,” “my parents will be mad,” and “my parents won’t believe me.”

To help actually reach kids, she recommends parents don’t ask leading questions such as, “you wouldn’t do that to us, would you?” or “you wouldn’t do anything stupid, right?”

Instead, Pratt said parents should aim to normalize grief by saying, “Sometimes when something bad happens,” whether a failed relationship, test, or tryout, “people become depressed, and sometimes when people become depressed, they think about suicide. Is that true for you? If you are, that’s OK. I just want to make sure we get you the help you need.”

It’s important for parents to give kids permission to have those sad and scary thoughts, Pratt said. That way, kids will be more willing to seek help.

“If you’re not sure what to do, you can call the Colorado crisis line and say, ‘Here’s my situation, I’m worried, can I get some advice?’ ” Pratt said. “They’ll help.”

Warning signs of suicide

» For teenagers, depression can often manifest as anger, irritability and frustration.